Frequently Asked Questions

  • Unfortunately we generally do not take in stray dogs from the community. If you have not already, please bring them to the closest vet to see if they have a microchip number. If they are chipped, it increases the chances they can be reunited with their original family! The next step would be to file a lost dog report via the Animal Care Center website and/or bring them into their facility.

  • Making the decision to re-home your pet is a difficult one. Our prior shelter partner commitments and current foster base dictate our intake capacity. If you have a dog you would like to rehome your dog through our organization, please complete our dog surrender form. We take these requests on a case-by-case basis and appreciate any details or background you can provide. Our team will get back to you via email if we are able to accept your dog.

  • Our transports typically arrive in NYC every 2-3 weeks, about once or twice a month. Our transports arrive in Manhattan and Brooklyn on Saturdays, a great way to start the weekend!

  • We believe animal transport programs are an essential part of making the USA a no-kill country. Texas has the highest rate of shelter animal euthanasia in the entire country. Every dog we pull from a shelter in Texas and bring to a place like NYC where adoptable dogs are in high demand reduces pressure on an incredibly overburdened southern shelter system and makes room for them to save another life. There are an incredible number of people looking to adopt in NYC and the surrounding areas so our Texas dogs have a much better chance of finding forever homes here.

    However, while most of our dogs come from Texas, we are also a proud New Hope partner for the Animal Care Centers of NYC and rescue dogs locally as well.

  • Absolutely! We adopt out of state. We just ask that you travel to NYC or Dallas to pick up your new pup!

  • Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer adoptions outside of the US at this time. We encourage you to look into your local rescues and shelters!

  • We make the majority of our newly arrived dogs available on the Tuesdays following transports, which occur on a 2-3 week basis. We’ll always announce this via our adopter newsletter for approved adopters. We also upload dogs on a case-by-case basis as they become available for various reasons (i.e. recovering from illness, a lined up adoption falls through), so we encourage you to check our website often for new updates!

  • If a dog is no longer on our website, that means they found their forever home or are not currently available for adoption.

  • We offer foster-to-adopt for our dogs arriving directly from Texas, so those dogs will not be listed on the website if their adopters choose to make it forever. These opportunities are always announced to our approved adopters via our adopter newsletter, and can also be found on our Foster-to-Adopt page. Otherwise, all of our adoptable dogs are listed on the website.

  • Yes! The majority of our fosters and adopters are first timers. Every now and then we have dogs who need more experienced owners, but otherwise we love newbies.

  • Yes! The vast majority of our adopters live in NYC apartments where a yard is but a distant dream. With proper walks and both physical and mental stimulation, most dogs regardless of size or age are very happy with apartment living.

  • One of our adoption coordinators will respond to your application within a couple days of receipt. Sometimes we have some follow-up questions to make sure we can support you, but the majority of the time, you are approved within a few days of applying. Please make sure to check your pesky Spam folder for our response!

  • Yes! We take matchmaking very seriously in an effort to ensure all of our homes are forever. Our belief is that there is a spectrum of dog behaviors that might fit with what you're seeking, so we may invite you to meet a dog if we think the incompatibility is workable. We ask that our adopters keep an open mind about matches – we work very hard to match our adopters with dogs that we think could be their forever friend!

  • That depends on a lot of variables! If you are applying only to dogs who have high interest, it might take a while to receive a match. If you are open to more than one dog and dogs with lower interest, your odds are greatly increased. We also host weekly adoption events outside of our private process – if you’re struggling to receive a match, we encourage you to attend these events!

  • Approved adopters interested in specific dogs can email our adoption team at adopt@hbrdogs.com.

  • Approved fosters are automatically approved to adopt! All you need to do is email our adoption team at adopt@hbrdogs.com and they’ll guide you through the process.

  • We don’t have a time limit on applications. We just ask that you keep us updated on any changes (e.g. new address, contact info, etc.).

  • Our foster-to-adopt program is a “trial run” with your dog to see if it’s a fit. Foster-to-adopt is a great way for adopters to see their dog in their home before making it forever. Plus, by taking in a dog, you enable us to save another. You can have a direct hand in helping us rescue the thousands of dogs still waiting to be saved in Texas shelters. You can always see our current foster-to-adopt candidates here!

  • All foster applicants must be 21 years of age or older. Otherwise our only requirement to become a foster is to have tons of love and patience! Our most successful fosters are also the ones with clear and consistent boundaries.

  • Yes, we love having fosters outside the city, especially for dogs who are more timid and we feel would do better in a more suburban setting. As long as you’re within a 1-2 hour drive, are willing to come to NYC to pick up your foster, and able to bring them back into the city for adoption or events, we’d love to have you.

  • Yes! We do however recommend that they are kept separated while your new foster pup adjusts. Introducing them too soon could lead to an initial bad greeting as they have not acclimated to each other. Allowing them to adjust to each other's presence while your foster is in a crate will help set them up for longer term success.

  • No, our foster team diligently works to match you with a pup according to your restrictions and preferences for age/size/breed. We do however, have local "takeovers" for dogs currently in NYC that are looking for foster homes. They are featured in our weekly emails and you may choose one of them!

  • We provide you with a crate, collar, leash, and harness (if needed). All foster parents are also invited to join our private Facebook group - a wonderful community in which you can share photos, experiences, and crowdsource advice from seasoned foster parents. Additionally, our foster team is available to offer tips and direct support for any questions you may have via email or virtual meetings if necessary.

  • We provide you with a crate, collar, and leash - we just ask that you provide for the dog’s daily needs such as food, toys, walks, and of course, lots of love!

  • We cover the cost of vet exams and approved treatments and diagnostics when booked through our team with established vet partners. If you have any medical concerns about your foster dog reach out to nymedical@heartsandbonesrescue.com or txmedical@heartsandbonesrescue.com

  • The length of time for fostering depends on adoption interest for the dogs. The average length of stay for our foster dogs is approximately 2-3 weeks, but that can vary depending on factors like age, breed, size, etc. If you have a time constraint (for example, you can only foster for 2 weeks), please let us know as far in advance as possible so that we can accommodate and make sure we have another foster home lined up for the pup.

  • If for some reason you are no longer able to keep your foster dog whether you're going out of town or for any other reasons, please notify the foster team ASAP! We ask that aside from an emergency, you give us at least one week’s notice prior to your departure, as takeovers can take a minimum of one week to arrange. Please note, although we understand that takeovers are often considered urgent, we can only move dogs as fast as we are able to locate a new foster home. Fosters are responsible for arranging transport for the dog to their new home.

  • We love when our fosters decide to adopt. While we'll always try to make it work for you, we recommend reaching out to the adoption and foster teams as soon as you are considering adoption. Once an adoption meeting is scheduled for your foster, that meeting takes precedence, which is why we suggest the sooner the better. We generally try to have all foster fails processed before our dogs are officially made available to our adopters, as we try to keep the adoption process fair to everyone.

  • Approved adopters are automatically approved to foster! You can send an email to foster@hbrdogs.com and they’ll guide you through the process to get started fostering.

  • Yes, the majority of our fosters and adopters are first timers. Every now and then we have dogs who need more experienced owners, but otherwise we love newbies.

  • Yes, many of our fosters work regular jobs away from home. We require that fosters be able to walk our dogs at least 3 times a day and leave them alone for no more than 6 hours at a time.

  • Yes, many of our fosters use dog walkers during the day, and we can recommend some in your area. We don’t cover the cost of the dog walker, but some offer discounted prices for foster dogs.

  • We don’t require fosters to transport our dogs, but it’s incredibly helpful when they can. We’re always looking for volunteers who have access to a car and are willing to chauffeur a pup to help with taking dogs to transport in Texas, picking them up from transport in NYC, or bringing them to adoption events or vet appointments.

  • Unfortunately, due to the nature of rescue work, we cannot guarantee any behaviors, particularly for our newly arrived dogs. While we try to get all the information about our dogs before they arrive in NYC, it’s the dog’s time in foster care that answers the most questions. This is because dogs don’t generalize and how they behave in rural Texas doesn’t always translate to the busy city environment of NYC. All our dogs require time to decompress and adjust after they arrive in NYC and may need support with basic training like house or crate training, leash skills, etc. The good news is that we have tons of experience guiding fosters through getting their foster pups adjusted to their homes. Our foster info packet has great tips to read up on before you welcome your foster dog, and our foster team is always available to help you through questions and issues once you get your pup!

  • Probably not! We rarely know much about the history of the dogs coming into our care prior to their arrival at the shelter. Many were found as strays, while some were surrendered to the shelter. In these cases, the surrender is typically due to circumstances outside the previous owners’ control, such as not being able to find pet-friendly housing, having landlord issues, or no longer being able to afford a pet’s care. If we do know important information about your foster dog’s history, our team will always share it with you prior to you bringing them home.

  • Our foster-to-adopt program is a “trial run” with your dog to see if it’s a fit! Foster-to-adopt is a great way for adopters to see their dog in their home before making it forever. Plus, by taking in a dog, you enable us to save another. You can have a direct hand in helping us rescue the thousands of dogs still waiting to be saved in Texas shelters.

  • We have two avenues of foster-to-adopt! The first, and most popular, is our transport foster-to-adopt program. This program provides you with a rare opportunity to see your pup in your home before making it forever, and has about a 70% success rate. You’ll pick up your dog from our transport van and be their first introduction to their new life up North. It is...

    • A blind matchmaking process, meaning we are unable to guarantee temperamental information for our new dogs. We will always share what we know about our incoming dogs, but their behavior tends to change - sometimes drastically! - as they decompress in their new home.

    • A five day "trial run" with your dog to see if it's a fit.

    • On a first come, first served basis unless we have information about the dog that might cause a mismatch (i.e. they’ve displayed guarding behavior around other dogs and you have a resident dog).

    Our second foster-to-adopt offering is for select dogs currently in NY foster care. This is offered on a case-by-case basis depending on each dog’s unique situation. Some dogs have behavioral complexities that our foster-to-adopters would like to experience firsthand before fully committing, but most of these dogs have simply been overlooked for reasons we don’t quite understand!

    Both offerings include the support of our foster, adoption, and medical teams as you navigate the first few days with the dog who will hopefully become your new best friend.

    If you are interested in learning more about our foster-to-adopt program, please reach out to adopt@hbrdogs.com and our adoption team will walk you through the process.

  • No, our approved adopters and fosters are also approved for our foster-to-adopt program, pending a set of requirements. If you are approved and interested in foster-to-adopt, you can send an email to adopt@hbrdogs.com and our adoption team will guide you through the process.

  • We will confirm that you live within the radius of one of our partner veterinarians in the event of a medical emergency, and that you are able to drive into NYC for adoption events or foster dog drop-offs should you decline adoption. If you decide to pass on adoption, we ask that you continue fostering your dog for a minimum of 2-3 weeks, but ideally through to the dog’s forever home, as we find unnecessarily bouncing dogs between homes can lead to behavioral challenges.

  • Our foster-to-adopt program is free outside of the costs absorbed through fostering a dog - which includes things like food, supplies, and toys. We will only ask for our nonrefundable adoption fee if you decide to make it forever with your dog!

  • This depends on your location! As long as we have a partner vet established in your area for any medical concerns and you are able to bring your foster dog back into the city if you decide to pass on adoption, you are approved to foster-to-adopt.

  • We accept physical donations. They can be dropped off at Acme Dog Run (188 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11215) anytime during business hours.

  • We accept any used pet care supply in good condition including crates, food, leashes, collars, harnesses, etc. If you would like to donate new items to our foster pups, please check out our Amazon wishlist.

  • Thank you for considering making a donation to Hearts & Bones! You can find more information about donating on our site here.

  • Yes, you must be 18 years or older to volunteer.

  • Yes, many of our volunteer positions can be done remotely!

  • Nope! Our event volunteers need no experience to help out and our behind the scenes positions will match you with whatever job fits your level of experience. No prior volunteer experience is needed for any role!

  • Not at this time, but there are remote volunteer positions available to help plan these transports.